1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a prepayment device for dispensing French fries. This device is capable of ensuring, on the one hand, the storage of precooked and frozen French fries and, on the other hand and automatically, cooking a determined quantity of French fries before dispensing them, contained in a container, to a consumer.
The invention relates to the field of the manufacture of the automatic devices for dispensing French fries to a consumer against previous payment.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98
There are already known a number of devices of the above-mentioned type. In particular, from EP-0,636,334, a prepayment dispenser for French fries is known, in which precooked and frozen French fries are stored before being conveyed into a container consisting of a plate edged by rims. This container is brought to the level of a cooking station for French fries where this container is shaken through a vibrating device so that the French fries move and jump on the plate, in order to ensure a homogeneous cooking.
However, in addition to the fact that this vibrating device proves far from being efficient and does not at all allow a homogeneous cooking of French fries, this vibrating device, on the one hand, requires a particular and complex installation of the French fries dispenser (fixed slides, movable slides, helical springs, . . . ) and, on the other hand, causes premature dysfunctions and degradations at the level of the dispenser because of the repeated vibrations.
Moreover, this dispenser comprises means for ensuring the discharge of cooked French fries towards a station for dispensing these French fries to the consumer. This discharge means consists of mounting the plate of the container in a retractable way. In this respect, it should be noted that this mounting has a number of drawbacks related to the retractable design of this plate as well as to the (greasy) nature of the French fries arranged on this plate. In fact, these drawbacks consist of, during the discharge of the French fries through retraction of the plate, a number of these French fries remaining clamped or hooked at the level of the plate and do not fall into said container. This causes, on the one hand, dissatisfaction of the consumer and, on the other hand, generation of bacteria that adhere to the French fries that remain on the plate and are dispensed at the next dispensing cycle.
This dispenser also comprises means for storing the containers aimed at containing French fries. These storage means have a number of drawbacks. On the one hand, these containers are stored with their mouth turned upwards, which favors the deposit of dust or the like on the bottom of such a container. The suction cup effect between the containers and the smoothness of the edges of these containers prevent suitable seizing and easy separation of a container from another one.